Utoblo Obaiya Grace

Curiosity was one of her traits as a child. She asked chains of questions regarding her environment and happenings around her to a fault. Visiting her country home, a purely agrarian environment, during holidays stimulated her inquisitiveness as she observed agricultural activities and helped in her own small ways. Questions such as “how seeds grew to food, why some seeds would not germinate’’ and other agricultural concepts coursed through her young mind as she forged on educationally. Her undergraduate education in Botany (University of Jos, Nigeria) set her on the right track to her growing scientific quest. UTOBLO, OBAIYA GRACE followed through with a Master’s degree in Cyto-genetics and plant breeding. Presently, she is a PhD student at the West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) with research interest in breeding of sweet potatoes. This, she says is in line with her vision of enhancing global food security as well as a start point for her dream of promoting agricultural productivity through women.